The West Bengal School Education Department has formally introduced a work-from-home arrangement for a section of its officers as part of a wider administrative push to reduce government expenditure and improve operational efficiency.
A notification issued by the department stated that selected officials would now be allowed to work from home one day every week under a roster-based system. The move is reportedly aligned with the broader message of austerity and resource conservation emphasised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
Officials said the decision is aimed not only at reducing operational costs but also at streamlining government functioning through greater use of digital systems.
Selected officers assigned weekly home-duty roster
The department has released a detailed roster mentioning the names, designations, and scheduled work-from-home days for nine officers.
Among those included are senior IAS and WBCS officers attached to the School Education Department, the Directorate of School Education, and associated bodies like PBSSM and PBRSSM.
On Mondays, officials, including Nikhil Nirmal, IAS (Senior Special Secretary, CSE, WB), and Arindam Banerjee, WBCS (Exe.) (Administrative Officer, DSE, WB), will work remotely. Wednesdays have been assigned to officers such as Chandranath Roychowdhury, WBCS (Exe.) (Special Secretary, SED), and Debsmita Chatterjee, WBCS (Exe.) (AO & ASPD, PBSSM).
The Thursday roster includes Bibhu Goel, IAS (SPD, PBSSM), and Isha Mukherjee, WBCS (Exe.) (Additional Secretary, SED), while Friday’s schedule features Surjit Roy, WBCS (Exe.) (Additional Director, DSE, WB), Kajal Kanti Saha, WBCS (Exe.) (Additional Secretary, SED), and Parmita Roy, WBCS (Exe.) (MD, PBRSSM).
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Virtual meetings and e-office system to become mandatory
The notification also outlines a series of additional instructions designed to reduce physical movement and paperwork across government offices.
Unless specifically required otherwise, departmental meetings will now be conducted through video conferencing platforms. Authorities have also instructed staff to avoid unnecessary photocopying and printing in offices.
The department has directed that all files must be routed through the e-office system. Opening a new physical file will now require explicit permission from the concerned head of office, signalling a stronger shift toward digitised administration.
Officials believe these measures could significantly reduce paper consumption and administrative delays while encouraging faster digital processing of files.
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Government pushes energy conservation and carpooling
The School Education Department has also introduced steps aimed at reducing fuel and electricity consumption.
Employees have been advised to minimise unnecessary travel and adopt carpooling wherever possible. The responsibility of preparing a separate carpooling roster has been assigned to the Deputy Secretary (Administration).
At the same time, stricter controls have been imposed on electricity usage inside Secretariat and Directorate offices. Departments have been instructed to avoid unnecessary power consumption after 7 pm, while the use of elevators is also expected to be regulated more carefully.
